The Hidden Fortress Review

The Hidden Fortress

“The Hidden Fortress” (original name Kakushi-toride no san-akunin) was directed by Akira Kurosawa and produced by Toho Company. It was released December 28, 1958 in Japan and October 6, 1960 in the United States of America. It is a black and white film shot in a 2.35 aspect ratio with a running time (USA) of 126 minutes. It is the first widescreen movie done by Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa also directed Seven Samurai which we have viewed earlier. The film stars Toshiro Mifune who played Kikuchiyo in Seven Samurai. The Hidden Fortress takes place in the same time period as Seven Samurai and deals with a similar observation of the interaction of different classes. This film stands out from his other films due to Kurosawa’s large focus on the view point of the peasants. The Hidden Fortress was well received in Japan when initially released and was reviewed well by film critics. It was a major influence on George Lucas’s “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” and several similarities can be drawn between the two films. The social statement made by the showing of the interaction between the peasantry and the royalty which is a major film will be focused on in my review. Also Kurosawa’s use of widescreen other cinematographic techniques will be explored.

The Hidden Fortress opens following Tahei and Matakishi, two peasants, as they are leaving the aftermath of a battle. They had been mistaken as soldiers of the defeated army and were forced to bury the dead bodies. As they walk they witness the slaying of a samurai by numerous cavalrymen. They attempt to cross a guarded border which would lead to their homeland but are captured and forced into slavery, which they quickly escape from due to an uprising. After their escape Tahei and Matakishi find gold which was hidden in sticks. Soon after this they meet a man named Rokurota Makabe who they think is trying to take the hidden gold for himself. The two peasants start to work under Makabe and while they are working in the forest they come across a woman. It is revealed to us that this woman is actually the princess of the Akizuki tribe, that Makabe is a general assigned to protect her, and that the hidden gold belongs to the Akizuki tribe. Tahei and Matakishi are suspicious of the princess but Makabe claims to have already have turned in the princess, which is reinforced by the talk of villagers explaining that the princess has been captured. This “princess” turns out to be Makabe sister and when she is hung, the princess’ followers decide that it is time for them to return home. Makabe plans to follow the path that Tahei and Matakishi made to return home and he recruits them to accompany him and the princess (acting as a mute) by promising them a share of the gold. When the group nears the border the peasants attempt to escape with the gold, first being spoiled by the princess and secondly getting scared of the soldiers guarding the border. In order to cross the border Makabe uses a piece of the hidden gold to trick the guards into allowing them to cross through the border checkpoint. At a village the group stops in the princess encounters a group of men partaking in the trading/selling of slaves/prostitutes. The princess convinces Makabe to buy a woman that she observed being abused at the price of their horses. As they are traveling they are discovered by a group of soldiers and Makabe proceeds to fight them off. After chasing two soldiers on horseback to a fort, Makabe meets General Tadokoro. The two duel with spears, a fight which Makabe eventually wins, allowing Tadokoro to live. After Makabe returns to the group he goes off to find wood, but the peasants decide to follow a group of people participating in a fire festival, during which they are forced to burn the wood containing the gold in order to remain from being caught. After the festival they are able to gather up the gold but the princess, Makabe, and slave girl end up being captured after the peasants attempt to go back and take more gold (the peasants manage to escape). Their captor is General Tadokoro, who is shown to have been beat due to his loss to Makabe. While they are trapped, Tadokoro has a change of heart and releases the group. After they escape the peasants come across the horses which carried the gold, but are soon captured by soldiers. These soldiers turn out to be of the kingdom of the princess and when the Tahei and Matakashi are brought to the princess she and Makabe finally reveal their identities to them. The peasants are rewarded with gold which the princess wants them to split equally.

A major component of The Hidden Fortress is the interaction between the two main social classes presented in the film: the royal upper class and the peasants. The movie starts off through the viewpoint of the peasants, showing us their struggles as they travel through Japan after the battle. Tahei and Matakashi are extremely comical characters. Often they are depicted as bumbling idiots whose greed always seems to get themselves and the people around them into trouble. After meeting Makabe the point of view of the film slowly transitions more into one of his and the princess’. As this transition is being made, it is also worth noting that the movie’s tone also transitions, from a comical tone to a more serious one. It is interesting that the two classes have about the equal amount of time of representation in the film. While the peasants seem to be included largely for comical purposes, they are a large part of the plot of the film. The peasants are the ones that plan the movement across the border and their antics often push the plot forward. When discussing at the “hidden fortress” where Matakashi, the princess, and her entourage are staying, Matakashi tells the old man there of the plan that the peasants drew up and the old man responds with, “Sometimes even moss can be smart!”, and the two laugh. While this does show that the two of the upper class did look down upon the peasants, they admit to the possibility that these people hold intelligence. While the film does often put the peasants in a negative light, often depicting them as greedy and stupid, Matakashi still attempts to keep them in the group although they may be considered a hindrance. Also the film resolves with the two peasants being rewarded even though their actions often put the traveling group in danger and finally got them caught. This may be a statement of the condition of the lower classes in Japan. Although the poor may seem to be easily persuaded by money, they are conditioned to act that way due to the situation of living that they are forced into.

The character of the princess is interesting one in the way that she interacts with those who would be considered lower than her. In the princess I see the representation of a good caring leader. Donald Richie even goes so far as to describe her as a demigod (Richie 1970). As the film starts to give more attention towards the actions of Makabe and the princess, we can see the development of the princess into a leader who would better understand the hardships of those who she rules. One of the first scenes after it is revealed that Yuki Akizuki is the princess is her reaction towards hearing that Makabe sacrificed his own sister in order to protect her. Here we see Yuki’s compassionate nature, but it is directed towards a person that she may have known her whole life and someone of the same social class. The first actual interaction between Yuki and some one of the lower class was when she first met Tahei and Matakashi. During this first meeting she appears to detest the two peasants, thinking them as greedy and untrustworthy. Although she is hindered by her disguise as a mute, she gives a large effort into keeping the two in check. The major turning point in the film is the scene where Yuki witnesses the sale of a farmer’s daughter as a slave. This is the first time in the movie where we see the princess being truly exposed to the hardships that members of the lower class have to go through. Here Yuki’s compassion towards those lower class members shines through, perhaps due to the direct observance of this wrongdoing. The effect of a compassionate leader on their people is symbolized by how the farmer’s daughter reacted to being saved by the princess and her group. The farmer’s daughter becomes very loyal to the princess, and ends up even protecting her from Tahei and Matakashi. The kindness of the princess helps her gain allies, the most notable being General Tadokoro, who helps them escape even after he was the one who captured them. The last scene of the film involves another act of kindness from Princess Yuki. After her soldiers “capture” Tahei and Matakashi they are brought to her and even though the peasant’s actions put her in great danger she rewarded them. She understands their selfish nature was conditioned by the actions they have to make in order to survive in scarcity. The princess may be Kurosawa’s idea of an ideal leader. Princess Yuki has witnessed for herself the difficulties that the lower class goes through, she can now relate to the peasants, and her compassionate nature pushes her to act upon what she had experienced.

Like many of Kurosawa’s other works, The Hidden Fortress presents very creative camerawork. As mentioned before this was the first film in which he utilized widescreen (Boll). This change to widescreen allowed Kurosawa more freedom to incorporate more movement into his scenes. This movement, which also plays a large part in Seven Samurai, is very prominent, especially in scenes which have fighting. Widescreen shots allow for more action to be present on the screen at any given time and also give actors more freedom of movement. Widescreen seems to have fit Kurosawa’s style very well and allowed him to present the energy he wanted to into his shots. During these action scenes Kurosawa does not turn towards fast, chaotic editing, but rather takes long shots allowing the viewer follow what is happening with ease. Early in the film Kurosawa used angles to display the powerful character of Makabe (whose strength was also exemplified by having Mifune play the character). Often the peasants looked up at Makabe as they worked from the bottom of a mountain as he stood at the top. This may symbolize how the lower class views the upper class, powerful and ominous. The Hidden Fortress is more comedic than the works that Kurosawa had directed before it, namely Throne of Blood. The humor is usually provided for by the Tahei and Matakashi, while Makabe and the princess act in a more serious, respectful manner. This displays the social expectations of each class.

A close analysis of the scene where Makabe and General Tadokoro duel allows one to see the masterful camera work of Kurosawa and how widescreen helped enhance the quality of the shots he produced. The scene starts off when Makabe rides into the encampment, is recognized by Tadokoro, and is challenged to a duel. After he accepts he walks around the circle of soldiers looking for an acceptable spear to use for battle. Here we can appreciate the use of widescreen, Mifune is able to traverse the around the large group of soldiers without the camera having to change position. After his spear is acquired Makabe makes a standoff with Tadokoro and there are a few quick edits showing each combatant’s face as each attempts to intimidate the other. This is followed by a lengthy period of time where the two circle around with the camera slightly panning to observe all the action. This is finally broken when the two make contact with their spears for the first time. Now the edits become quicker and different camera positions are used, including close-ups of Tadokoro and Makabe’s faces, but Kurosawa always takes us back to the long shot which captures the two fighting encircled by the soldiers. The two move towards an area surrounded by black cloth and the camera moves in closer. Here the camera changes position relatively often, allowing the audience to view as Tadokoro and Makabe rip through this cloth as they fight. The scene reaches its climax when Tadokoro and Makabe reach a standstill where both have their spears pressed against the other’s trying to obtain better positioning. The camera stays close, but always keeps both fighters within the shot. Makabe wins the duel by breaking Tadokoro’s spear. This scene exemplifies Kurosawa’s style of capturing action scenes. While there are a few quick edits, this is kept to a relative low, the majority of the scene is shot in lengthy takes. The widescreen shines in this scene, as all of the action is able to be contained within the screen. The duel scene is filled with action and movement but never gets too chaotic for the viewer to follow.

While The Hidden Fortress is not considered by many critics to be one of the absolute best of Kurosawa’s work, it does what it sets out to do, and that is entertain. The film is sometimes comedic, sometimes serious. It can be seen as an intellectual statement of how rulers should treat their subjects as well as Kurosawa’s first experiment with widescreen, which allowed him to put even more action into his scenes as ever before. The Hidden Fortress’s influence is seen today, most notably in Star Wars. From the plot line of a princess being secretly smuggled, to the comedic characters C3PO and R2D2, to the wipe edits which signify a change in setting, George Lucas seems to have drawn much inspiration from Akira Kurosawa’s work. The Hidden Fortress was a thoroughly entertaining piece of work by a masterful director that was a joy to watch.

References:

Richie, Donald (1999). The Films of Akira Kurosawa, Third Edition, Expanded and Updated. University of California Press

Doll, Susan – Turner Classic Movies http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/290047%7C0/The-Hidden-Fortress.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hidden_Fortress

Expression Through Film in Post-Occupation Japan

World War II made major impressions upon all countries involved. Japan’s involvement within World War II their subsequent defeat made huge impacts upon all areas of Japanese Society: socially, politically, and culturally. Artistically, film making in Japan was drastically affected. After the end of American occupation of Japan, directors were given more freedom to express themselves through their movies. During the occupation films with images or references regarding World War II and Japanese militarism were not allowed to be released. This time (1950’s) after the occupation is considered to be the “Golden Age” of Japanese cinematography. During this time emerged many of the great Japanese directors such as Yasujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, and Kenji Mizoguchi. Also many world-wide renowned Japanese films such as Seven Samurai and Gojira were produced during this era. Just what accounted for this surge of creative productivity? I believe that the wealth of emotions caused by World War II the subsequent suppression of the Japanese to be able to express these emotions lead to the large number of great films produced after the occupation. In every film we viewed (that was made after WWII) made reference to or were influenced by World War II in some way. Each film can be seen as a response to life after the war. Some of these responses were the fear of the horrors caused by war, lamenting over life before the war, and looking forward towards Japan’s future as a nation. Through a focused study of Japanese cinematography (namely the subject matter of the films, alongside a little of their directing techniques) of the Golden Era, I think we would be able to paint a somewhat accurate picture of how the Japanese population was affected by their nation’s involvement in World War II.

Let’s start off with the film that probably envelopes and best communicates the emotions felt by the Japanese after the end of World War II, Gojira. After the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I can only imagine a few emotions that the Japanese population would be able to feel, fear being the most prevalent. The United States held the power to destroy whole cities with a single weapon and had used this power against the Japanese people, how else could they react? Gojria embodies this fear throughout the film, from Gojria itself to the reactions of the Japanese victims. The reactions of the people in Gojira most likely reflect what was felt immediately after the bombings, fear of the attackers and sorrow in seeing the dead and wounded. Gojira, the monster, is itself a symbol for many things within the film. It is a representation of all of the destruction caused by war past, present and future, a symbol of advanced weaponry and all the destruction in can cause. It is also a direct victim of the usage of the usage of nuclear weaponry, being awoken by the testing of a hydrogen bomb. For this reason Dr. Yamane connects with Gojira, knowing that he and the monster both suffered underneath the actions of the United States. Gojira embodies everything that is wrong about the usage of nuclear weaponry, from destruction to the sorrow it causes. The special effects depicting the destruction of Japanese cities by Gojira, which were cutting edge during the time, helped display the horrors that are associated with nuclear weaponry. From the buildings being set on fire to the frightening unnaturalness of Gojira’s roar, every aspect of the film would have instilled fear into the Japanese audience. Serizawa was, I thought the most intriguing character of the film. He produced a weapon (the Oxygen Destroyer) that may be more powerful than the hydrogen bomb. This weapon has the ability to destroy Gojira but Serizawa is reluctant to use it against him because he knows that once other nations see the capabilities of his Oxygen Destroyer, they would want to use it to gain more worldly power (which I think is a direct statement against the United States). Eventually he allows for the Oxygen Destroyer to be used but in the process of killing Godzilla he allows himself to be killed, in order to keep the information about production of the weapon out of the hands of those who would use it to promote violence. It is interesting that a heroic character such as this would emerge at the same time as when the Cold War was starting to escalate. Serizawa’s ideals of peace make a sharp contrast when compared to the actions of the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Cold War revolved around the fear of the usage of nuclear weaponry, a fear clearly expressed within Gojira. The mass production of atomic weaponry could have lead to the birth of another metaphorical (or who knows maybe even literal) Gojira.

Years after the war, the Japanese population, during the Japanese Golden Age of film, may have felt the yearning for life before the war. Tokyo Story revolves around two characters that reminisce about their past as they travel throughout their Japan (about 10 years after World War II) and visit their children. As Shukichi and Tomi visit, their children are unable to spend time with them and seem to have distanced themselves away from their parents. During the scene where Sukichi meets his friends at a bar to drink and catch up they eventually start talking about the disappointment they feel about their children. Due to the modernization of Japan catalyzed by the war, much of the population was forced to move to Tokyo and the surrounding areas. This has made it hard for people to move forward into better positions like Shukichi’s son Koichi who is a pediatrician, but his practice is limited to the area surrounding his area. From their children’s moving away from their home in Onomichi and the lack of respect from them to the parents we see the breakdown of the traditional Japanese family system which emphasized the family as the basic, most important unit of society. Sukichi and Tomi yearn for the time before the war when their children were “nicer” and closer to them. While World War II is not referenced too frequently over the course of Tokyo Story, it is one of the main driving points of the plot line. As Professor Mizenko stated, the main reason for Sukichi and Tomi’s visit to Tokyo was possibly to make clear that their daughter-in-law, Noriko, was no longer part of the Hirayama family in name. Sukichi and Tomi’s son was killed during World War II leaving Noriko a widow with no children. They encourage her to get remarried and after Tomi’s funeral Sukichi makes it clear that she is not a part of his family, not because they don’t feel like she is a good daughter-in-law, but to insure that she is taken care of after they pass away. Even without many direct references towards World War II, through Tokyo Story Ozu is still able to express the effects of the war on the Japanese population. Every character shows the heavy weight of what the war has placed upon them, either from learning about what or whom they lost during the war and their behavior.

What did the Japanese people think would be the future of Japan? Would the occupation of the United States force the westernization of their culture or would they stand strong? The Burmese Harp seeks to answer how Japan will progress while also giving the audience a taste of the horrors of war. The development of the character of Private Mizushima and the military troop he was assigned to during their time in Burma may be a reflection of what director Takeyama wanted as the way Japan should progress. Mizushima, the focal character of the film, after his troop surrendered to the British, was sent on a mission to attempt to make a group of Japanese soldiers held up in a mountain surrender as well. During this scene we see two opposing forces: the imperialistic and progressive ways of thought. The soldiers fighting in the mountains represented the way of thinking promoted by the militaristic Japanese government during World War II, which promoted fighting until death for the sake of the nation and honor. Mizushima and his troop represent the more progressive point of view, they know that by surrendering and surviving, the Japanese soldiers would be able to better benefit Japan by returning home and rebuilding their country. After the soldier’s refusal to surrender and their subsequent defeat, Mizushima commences on a spiritual journey. As he travels around Burma, he starts to follow along the Buddhist path of peace and enlightenment and eventually becomes a Buddhist monk himself. Music plays a huge role in The Burmese Harp. This is observed during the scene where the Japanese and the British soldiers sing along with each other in the village, communicating each other’s intentions of wanting a peaceful meeting. Throughout the film the idea of moving towards a more progressive, peaceful way of thought pervades.

From the themes behind these films we may be able to assume that during the time after the war Japan and its people were shocked by the horrors of war, lamented over what was lost due to the war, and were trying to progress forward from the militaristic government which ruled during the time of World War II. After dealing with the hardship with being involved with a major war, it is likely the Japanese population would have taken steps towards becoming a nation less involved in militaristic acts. The endings of the films mentioned and most, if not all, of the films watched up until now have ambiguous endings. It seems the directors themselves did not know how Japan would change in response to the war. This ambiguity leaves viewers with the same uncertainty that the Japanese people would have felt. They did not know exactly how their nation would change and how much of their traditional culture may be lost, but they moved forward remembering the sorrow caused by the war and pushed by the new ideals underneath their progressing, democratic government.